The invention pertains to a gas engine and to an ignition device for a gas engine.
A gaseous fuel-air mixture is burned in gas engines, wherein the gaseous fuel-air mixture is ignited by means of at least one ignition device of the gas engine. In gas engines known from the state of the art, the ignition device or each of the ignition devices is designed as a sparkplug, which projects either into an undivided combustion chamber or into a precombustion chamber space divided off from the main combustion chamber, and ignites the gaseous fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber or precombustion chamber. High ignition energies and temperatures are required for ignition, and these energies and temperatures increase disproportionately as engine power increases.
A gas engine in which high ignition energies for igniting the gaseous fuel-air mixture can be avoided is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,843,220. In this document, the gaseous fuel-air mixture is ignited by means of an ignition device, in which an ignition source of the ignition device which provides the ignition energy is in immediate or direct contact with the fuel-air mixture to be ignited or with a gaseous atmosphere derived from the fuel-air mixture to be ignited. According to this state of the art, therefore, the ignition source of the ignition device is exposed to corrosive conditions, as a result of which premature wear can occur. This results ultimately in a shortened service life or in shortened maintenance intervals and thus in increased operating costs for the gas engine.